Sole-cutting machine



C. AQSAWYER, m. sou: cumfw MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 7, I920.

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SOLE CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION mm APR. 7. 19 20.

1,368,225. Patented. Feb. 8, 1921..

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

a A. SAWYER, JR. SOLE CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATiON FILED APR. 7 1920.

mum Feb. .921.

4 SHEETS 3.

c. A. S-AWYER, 1R. -SOLE CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR- 7. 1920.

Patented Feb. 8,1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

a a 7 e 2 4 Q 5, E v? v L fi UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SOLE-CUTTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters l atent.

PatentedFeb. s, 1921.

Application filed April '16, 1920. Serial No. 371,814.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES ADRIAN SAW- YER, Jr, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Newton in the county of MiddleseX and "tate of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Sole-Cutting Machines, of whichthe following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My present invention relates to leather working machines, and more particularly to leatherworking machines for blanking out shoe soles and the like.

In leather working machines of the beam or so-called clinker type in use at the present day the side of the leather is placed on the cutting block table of the machine, a steel cutting or clicking die having a contour of the sole to be cut is placed in position on the side of leather and the beam or reciprocating member of the machine being released by means of a foot treadle drops on the die forcing its contour'knife edge through the leather. A. skilful operator is essential in order that good results may be obtained, and the waste of leather be kept as low as possible. The chances of injury with theusual clinker are so great that a careless operator is soon injured. while a careful operator consumes a great portion of his time in insuring his safety. I have found that the customary merchantable side leather suitable for the production of shoe soles may be advantageously out into strips or sections across the side from back to belly. the width of each strip or section equaling the length of the particular size of sole to be cut therefrom, and these strips being somewhat less than the length and width dimensions of the bed of the usual type of beam or clinker machine. Also i. have found that shoe soles, regardless of the length thereof, have practically the same contour. I have therefore designed the gang cutter which will replace the single clicking die formerly used, and by cutting the side into strips or sections as above described, I can so arrange my gang of cutters on the beam or reciprocating member of the'machine to insure the cutting of a plurality of shoe soles of one size or a plurality of sizes simultaneously and with absolutely no waste of leather in the length of the section of leather between the first and last cutter of the gang. With this method of operation, the only waste is the trimming that is necessary along the narrow end of the section of leather. I have also found on certain varieties of sole leather the above explained cutting into strips or sections before placing on the block of my cutting machine is unnecessary and that the entire side or other shaped piece of leather can be fed directly into the cutting machine thereby eliminating the necessity of stripping if to the beam or reciprocating member of the machine be added a knife blade or cutting. edge across and against the ends of the contour molded knife blades on the upper side of the beam nearest the operator.

As the clinker is practically a press designed to impart a hammer blow to the clicking die, I prefer to refer to the dinker as a press.

To prevent injury to the operator, and to insure that he may give his undivided at tention to the operation of the machine, I have devised means for operating the ma chine, operable by the operator, and operable by him only when he uses his two hands for the purpose. There is therefore, no necessity for him to have his hands between the gang 7 ofcutters and the table, and if he should do so, he must remove them both to operate the machine. An object of my invention, therefore, is an improved gang of cutters for blanking out a plurality of shoe soles'simultaneously.

Another object is the provision of improved safety operating means for machines of the type above referred to for preventing injury to an operator.

Other objects and novel features ofcon? struction and arrangement of parts will appear as the description of the invention progrosses.

In the accompanying drawmgs,

Figure 1 is a front elevation; V Fig. 2 is a side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 33ofFig.l;

Fig. 4 is a plan view; and

Fig. 5 is a detail of the clutch mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates side members or standards tied together at the bottom by a rod 11 and having bosses 12 and 13, the faces of which lie in the same inclined plane. I

Mounted on the bosses 12 and 13 in an inclined position, is a frame member 14, near the top of which are alined bearings 15 in which is rotatably mounted the main shaft 16. .()n one end of the shaft 16 is rotatably mounted the fly wheel 17, a' nut 18 being provided to hold the flywheel 17 on the shaft. The lower end of the member 14 isprovided with a cross bar 19, through which are threaded a plurality of adjusting bolts 20 engaging the lower face of the slidable table" 21. This table 21 is provided withledges 22 and 23 on its front and rear sides respectively, to aid in positioning a block 24, of wood or other suitable material, a gib 25 and set screws 26 006 aeratin with the led e head 27 toward and from the block 24. The gang head 28 has its lower face pro- 22 for holding the block 24 rigidly in position.

Slidably mounted in the member 14 and above the block24 is a cutter'head'27, to

which a gang plate 28 is secured by means of main shaft 16. Rotation of the shaft 16 will cause the reciprocating movement of the vided with a plurality of holes 35, and a plurality of cutters 36 may be attached to said lower face by bolts 37, as shown in Figs.

7 1 and 3. The lower face of the gang head 28 is extended at either side to formfianges 38, provided with a plurality ofslots 39 in which slide bolts 40 riveted at their lower ends to stripper bars 41. Nuts 42 on the upper ends of the bolts 40 limit the downward movement of the stripper bars 41 while springs 43 encircling the bolts 40 and located between the lower face of the gang head and stripper bars 41 hold the stripper bars downward in engagement with the leather on the block 24 and strip the cut sole from the cutters 36.

Fixed to the main shaft 16, between the bearing 15 andthe hubrof the fly wheel 17, is a collar 44 provided with channel 45, as shown. Slidably mounted in the collar 44 and parallel to the shaft 16 is a pin 46, which, when in its extreme forward movement, or movement to the right, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, engages in a hole in the hub 47 i of the flywheel 17. This pin 46 has a projection at one side thereof which is guided in a slot 48 in one of the walls of the channel 45. Screwed to the rear of the slotted wall is a plate 49, to the forward side of which is attached a pin 50 engaging in a hole 51 in the'pi-n 46. A spring 52 located in the hole 51 in front of the pin 50 tends to force the pin 46 forward into the hole in the hub 47. The projection on the pin 46 is beveled, as shown at 53, to be engaged by the bevel 54 on the upper end of the rod 55, pivotally mounted at 56 on the framemember 14,.this rod 55 lying normally in the channel 45 and having an arm 59 extending outwardly to a position in front of the frame member and to the outer end is pivotally mounted the lower edge of the operating guard plate 60 slidably mounted in a substantially vertical plane in guideways 61 attached at either side of the front of the frame member. The other arm 62 of the bell crank lever extends parallel to the rod 55 and is provided with a projection or latch 63 adapted to engage in a notch 64 in a plate 65 attached for sliding movement to the rod 55 by a bolt 66 engaging in a slot 67 such plate 65. The rod 55 is cut away at 68 to allow the latch 63 to co'ciperate with the notch 64. For convenience in manufacturing, and to prevent unnecessary duplication of parts, the bell crank lever at the left of the frame member 14 is provided with an arm 62, but, asthere is but one each of the rod 55 and plate 65, only the arm 62 on the right of the frame member 14 performs any function. The upper end of the plate 65 is pivotally attached to one end of the plate 66, the other end of such plate 66 being pivotally' nounted on the fra -e member 14. The plate 65 is held normally in an upward position by the spring 67 to hold the plate 66 in position to be engaged by the eccentric or cam surface 68 formed on one of the wells of the channel 45.

Pivotally mounted on. the'same' point as each of the bell crank levers, above referred to, is a lever, one arm 69 of which is pro vided with a boss 7 0, adapted to engage with the arm 59 of the bell crank lever. The other arm 71 of the lever extends rearwardly and has pivotally mounted at its end the lower end of connecting rod 72, a shaft 73 extending across the back of the frame member 14 and being rigidly att ched to the upper ends of the connecting rods 72. Stops 74 adjustably mounted on the shaft 7 3, act as stops or gages for the stock placed on the block 24. r g e 7 The operation of my improved machine is as follows, it being assumed that all parts are in normal position, with the fly wheel rotating and with the bevels 53 and 54 engaging to retain the pin 46 out ofengagement with the hole in the hub 47 of the flywheel 17, with the operating'guard plate 60 downward to expose the opening between the gangs of knives and the top of the block 24, and with the gages 74 above and at the rear of the said block 24. The operator is assumed to have depressed the guard plate 60 to expose the opening referred to, th1soperation causing the arm 59 to engage the boss 70 on the arm 69 causing the arm 71 to force the connecting rods 72 and therefore the guards 74 intoposition above and at the rear of the blocktZ l. The operator, after setting the proper gang of knives 36 in position on the frame .38, attaches the same to the cross bar 27, and inserts a' sheet of leather on the block 2 1, the gages 74: insuring that such sheet of leather is in proper posi: tion on the block 24. In order to properly operate the machine, both hands must be employed, and the operator therefore lifts the plate 60 in its guides 61 raising the same to block access to the knives and rotating the bell crank lever on its axis, forcing the latch 68 on the arm 62 thereof against the plate 65, thus forcing the beveled end of the rod out of the channel 15, whereupon the spring 52 will force the pin 16 to the right as viewed in Figs. 1 and 5, and, when the hole in the hub 47 of the flywheel 17 comes into alinement with saidpin, the pin will enter such hole to lock the shaft 16 and flywheel 17 together. T he shaft 16 thereupon rotates, and through the eccentrics 34 causes a reciprocating movement of the gang of knives 36. As the shaft 16 rotates, the cam surface 68 engages with the pivoted plate 66, which forces the plate 65 longitudinally to bring the notch 7a therein into alinement with the latch 68. During this described rotation of the shaft 16, the lower rear portion of the frame 28 has engaged the shaft '73 forcing the connecting rods 72 downwardly and forcing the bosses 70 upwardly into engagement with the arm 59 of the bell crank lever. If, immediately upon lifting the plate 60, the operator drops it again, there is danger that the latch 68 might not engage with the notch 74. To prevent this happening, the bosses 70 have been provided to insure the cooperation of the latch 68 and notch 7%. As soon as the latch 68 falls into the notch 74, the spring 57 returns the beveled end of the rod 55 to its position in the channel to engage the bevel 53 on the pin 46 to unclutch the shaft 16 from the flywheel 17, and insure that such shaft will make but one complete revolution. 0n the downward movement of the frame 28, the springs 43 are compres ed, and during the upward movement of the frame, the springs 43 cooperate with the strippers 41 to strip the cut soles from the cutter 36. @n the upward movement of the frame 28, the movement of the plate 60 allows the connecting rods 7 2 to follow the frame and release the latch 68 from the notch 64, whereupon the spring 67 returns the plate to normal position, and the machine is again in condition for operation.

The side members or standards are spaced apart a sufficient distance to permit a box to be placed immediately under the rear edge of the block 24 to catch the sole blanks that slide off the blockafter being stripped from the cutter.

' The advantages of having the entire mechanism mounted on the standards at an angle are many, and include the feature of sliding the sheet of leather into position on the block by gravity, and the unloading or removal. of the sole blanks from the machine by gravity. The entire mechanism may be operated without the necessity of the operator placing his hands between the cutter and block at any time and accidents are thus reduced to a minimum.

1 have shown cutters of the stationary type in the drawings, but it is to be understood that it is well within the scope of my invention to substitute therefor adjustable clutch for connecting said shaft to said source of power, a gage, and a combined operating and guard plate slidable with respect to said frame and operating to simultaneously operate the gage, cause reciprocation of the cutters and guard theoperator from the cutters.

2. In a leather working machine, the combination of an inclined frame, a shaft rotatable therein, a gang of cutters connected to said shaft for reciprocation in said frame, a block, located in the path of movement'of the cutters and adapted to hold a sheet of leather or the like, a pivotally mounted gage located at the rear of the block, a clutch for connecting said shaft to a constantly rotating member, and a combined operating and guard plate for simultaneously operating the clutch and shielding the operator from the cutters.

3. In a leather working machine, the combination of an inclined frame, a shaft rotatable therein, a gang of cutters connected to said shaft for reciprocation in said frame, a clutch for connecting said shaft to a constantly rotating member, a pivoted release lever for operating the clutch, a bell crank lever having an arm engaging with the release lever, a combined operating and guard plate connected to the other arm of the bell crank lever, for simultaneously operating the release lever and shielding the operator from the cutters.

4. In a leather working machine, the combination of a rotatable shaft, a constantly rotating wheel, a circumferential channel on the shaft, a spring pressed pin on said shaft,

and movable transversely of said shaft into operative relation wlth the wheel, a bevel face on sald pm, a spring pressed pivoted plate havinga beveled face lying normally:

in the channel and engaging the bevelon the pinto hold the pin out of engagement with the wheel, means for engaging the pivoted plate to force the beveled end thereof out of shaft, another plate pivotally mounted on the first said plate and pivotally mounted to said second plate, aspring normally holding said second and last named plate in op! erative position, a notch in said last named plate cooperating with the latch to allow the return to normal of the plate having a 'heveled face, whereby the shaft is rotated through but one complete revolution.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification. 7

7 CHARLES ADRIAN SAWYER, Jr. 

